Abra, an online investment platform that allows non-accredited investors to make ersatz, “fractional” investments in high voltage stocks, is now available to investors outside of the United States.
The platform lets investors buy up portions of bitcoin, the notional value of which is then pegged, by smart contracts, to items traded on the stock market—Google stocks, ETFs, the S&P 500. The only requirement is a minimum investment of $5.
Abra is also non-custodial—investors’ funds are stored in their own wallets, not in the vaults of a centralized exchange.
“Abra is built this way on the belief that a non-custodial wallet is a fundamental right and the cornerstone to a new decentralized financial system,” stated the press release. “Decentralized alternatives to the traditional financial system hold the promise of universal access to financial services and products, like the ability for anyone, anywhere to have the same public market investing opportunities.”
As a “special launch promotion,” Abra will also be offering zero trading fees to those who sign up. Available fractional stocks include Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google, Netflix; ETFS such as Vanguard Growth and the S&P 500; commodities such as the SPDR Gold Trust; and indexes such as the Russell 2000.
Abra was founded in 2014 and counts American Express Ventures, Foxconn Technology Group and Arbor ventures among its investors.